Classic French onion soup is said to have been created by the dethroned King Stanislaw I of Poland, father-in-law of Louis XV, who had time on his hands during his necessarily prolonged sojourn at his daughter’s court. (Stanislaw is also noted for traveling across Europe disguised as a coachman and for inventing baba au rhum.)
The culinary versatility of the onion is perhaps best illustrated, however, by the story of an eighteenth-century French tavern owner who, faced with hungry customers and no entrée, served up a pair of old water-buffalo leather gloves, shredded and simmered with onions, mustard, and vinegar.
The recipients reported them delicious.